"Ahem, Admiral Halberton—"
Colonel Hoffman beside him coughed lightly with a somewhat helpless expression, signaling that Admiral Halberton should rein it in.
If he kept exaggerating... it would undoubtedly become excessive.
Clearly Halberton was overly excited. Previously calling Lu Tianming the hope of Naturals was already somewhat exaggerated... now directly labeling him the hope of humanity clearly contained elements of excessive praise and excitement.
But Halberton's current statement actually stemmed from certain considerations.
According to the first Coordinator—George Glenn's own definition, Coordinators were meant to be "mediators," serving as a bridge between humanity and potentially emerging Newtypes.
This was far from PLANT's current propaganda claiming "Coordinators are the new era of humanity."
As a Natural who surpassed Coordinators in ability, Lu Tianming perfectly fit the role of "Newtype" for propaganda purposes, which could undermine PLANT's political mobilization legitimacy and significantly damage their morale.
...Though this wasn't the right moment to voice such ideas, nor were there conditions to implement them, so he simply kept them to himself.
Returning to the main topic, Halberton's gaze regained seriousness as he announced:
"Regardless, to prevent personnel changes from affecting combat effectiveness, the Archangel's crew composition will remain unchanged for now."
"Meanwhile, after completing repairs and resupplying, the Archangel will descend to Alaska according to the Alliance's overall strategy... to prepare for joining the war."
"Alaska Base..."
Hearing this, Murrue's brows slightly furrowed, though not out of disagreement with the arrangement.
What surprised her was—Lu Tianming's prediction had actually come true?!
When he previously asked her to conceal Lacus's whereabouts, she remembered Lu Tianming mentioning that the Archangel might descend to Earth... and now it had actually happened as he said.
How did he predict this? And how did he plan to use Lacus to gradually alter the situation?
Alaska was the Earth Alliance's "heart"—she didn't believe Lu Tianming could stir up much trouble there using Lacus... But what if considered from another perspective? Perhaps Lu Tianming's target was never Alaska to begin with, but somewhere else on Earth?
Those areas occupied by ZAFT, along with neutral nations like ORB that took no stance... all could potentially become stages for Lacus to exercise her political influence.
And when he later mentioned "the point of no return," did he mean the Archangel officially falling under Alaska's command?
Thinking this far, Murrue recalled Lu Tianming's helpless and troubled expression during their earlier discussion, suddenly understanding why he had worn that expression.
Indeed... if he had explained all this to her back then, she would have likely thought he was worrying unnecessarily, even possibly suspecting issues with his political stance.
But now, she only felt grateful—grateful to have encountered a teammate like Lu Tianming.
Admiral Halberton, mistaking Murrue's concern about the chaotic factions on Earth, immediately reassured her:
"You don't need to worry about affiliation issues. Since the Archangel was dispatched under my orders to provide support, it won't get involved in any messy situations."
"I still carry some weight within the Earth Alliance."
Murrue repeatedly expressed her gratitude, but her mind remained occupied with what Lu Tianming had previously told her, unable to forget his words for a long time.
After further discussing some key strategic points, the meeting concluded. Upon leaving the conference room, Admiral Halberton and Colonel Hoffman went off to continue their work, while Mu went to retrieve the Wired Backpack for the Archangel.
For a moment, only Murrue and Badgiruel remained in the corridor.
"Ms. Murrue, about the matter concerning Lacus... shouldn't we report it?"
Noticing no one else around, Badgiruel immediately approached Murrue and asked in a hushed tone.
She had noticed this issue during the debriefing, but being tactful, she didn't point it out publicly.
Moreover... having briefly interacted with Lacus earlier, she found herself less resistant toward this PLANT princess.
"Reporting her wouldn't bring any benefits, would it? You should know... Lacus wouldn't be safe if she returned to PLANT."
"Besides... Tianming said he needs Lacus for his plan."
"Plan?"
Badgiruel responded with curiosity. She could understand the first explanation—if even a spirit memorial ceremony could lead to an assassination attempt, how dangerous would it be for Lacus to return?
However, she couldn't comprehend what exactly Lu Tianming's so-called "plan" entailed.
She had been curious about this answer ever since her conversation with Lacus, recalling that Lacus had mentioned something about "Mr. Lu making a promise with her."
She couldn't help feeling like she was the only one left out of the loop...
Seeing Badgiruel's reaction, Murrue guessed that Lu Tianming hadn't informed her and quietly explained:
"He previously told me that after rendezvousing with the Eighth Fleet, the Archangel would most likely descend to Earth for combat operations. And you know the situation on Earth... To avoid getting entangled in factional conflicts and chaos, he needs Lacus as a variable in fate to alter the established trajectory."
"I didn't understand it before, but you heard the meeting just now—Admiral Halberton really arranged for the Archangel to descend to Earth..."
As Murrue spoke, her eyes revealed unconcealed astonishment... It was as if Lu Tianming could predict the future, calculating the Archangel's destiny with pinpoint accuracy.
He had even anticipated the matter of retaining their commission.
"A variable... What exactly does Lu Tianming intend to do with Lacus's power?"
Badgiruel felt a vague sense of foreboding, suspecting... that Lu Tianming might do something "unconventional."
If he truly went through with it, should she stand with the military or with Lu Tianming?
The version of herself before meeting Lu Tianming would likely have chosen the former... but now she hesitated.
She had witnessed the corruption and chaos within the Earth Alliance firsthand. If they were truly dragged into the whirlpool of their power struggles, rigidly adhering to rules would only make her a pawn for politicians.
However, the education she had received over the past twenty years from her military family background told her that regardless of how the Alliance behaved, as a soldier, she should remain loyal to her own faction...
At this moment, within Badgiruel's heart, rationality and her trust in Lu Tianming were joining forces to battle against the deeply ingrained beliefs formed over more than two decades of her life... leaving her momentarily confused.
Seeing the confusion in Badgiruel's eyes, Murrue sighed helplessly and replied:
"To be honest, I'm not sure either... But if it were me, I wouldn't overthink it."
"As companions, isn't it enough for us to simply trust and support him...?"
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